Hearing

Catch every word, sign, or signal.

NewConversation Boost

Make clearer connections.

Conversation Boost for AirPods Pro helps you better hear conversations in crowded or noisy environments. Through computational audio and beamforming microphones, Conversation Boost focuses AirPods Pro on the voice of the person directly in front of you, making it easier to distinguish speech and follow along in face‑to‑face conversations.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, AirPods Pro

Conversation Boost for AirPods Pro helps you better hear conversations in crowded or noisy environments. Through computational audio and beamforming microphones, Conversation Boost focuses AirPods Pro on the voice of the person directly in front of you, making it easier to distinguish speech and follow along in face‑to‑face conversations.

Set up Conversation Boost on:

Sound Recognition

Sound the alarm without hearing a sound.

Sound Recognition listens for certain sounds and uses on‑device intelligence to notify you when a specific sound is detected. Whether you’re using your iPhone or iPad, you’ll receive a notification when a particular type of sound or alert, such as a doorbell or crying baby, is detected.1

Available on:

iPhone, iPad

Sound Recognition listens for certain sounds and uses on‑device intelligence to notify you when a specific sound is detected. Whether you’re using your iPhone or iPad, you’ll receive a notification when a particular type of sound or alert, such as a doorbell or crying baby, is detected.1

Set up Sound Recognition on:

Headphone Accommodations

Customize your headphones to your hearing needs.

Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or talking to a loved one, Headphone Accommodations lets you customize your audio to best suit your hearing needs. Amplify soft sounds and adjust certain sound frequencies based on your individual preferences. Or try new noise cancellation and beamforming for supported hardware to help distinguish speech from background noise. If you already have an audiogram, you can import it from a paper or a PDF. If not, you’ll walk through a series of listening tests that allow you to set up as many as nine unique profiles based on your personal sound preferences.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, AirPods, EarPods, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro

Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or talking to a loved one, Headphone Accommodations lets you customize your audio to best suit your hearing needs. Amplify soft sounds and adjust certain sound frequencies based on your individual preferences. Or try new noise cancellation and beamforming for supported hardware to help distinguish speech from background noise. If you already have an audiogram, you can import it from a paper or a PDF. If not, you’ll walk through a series of listening tests that allow you to set up as many as nine unique profiles based on your personal sound preferences.

Set up Headphone Accommodations on:

Update:

Paper and PDF audiogram support. Quickly customize your audio with your latest hearing test results imported from a paper or PDF audiogram.

FaceTime

Sign across the street.
Or across the globe.

FaceTime is a great way to communicate using sign language. With high‑quality video and a fast frame rate, FaceTime helps you catch every gesture and facial expression — from raised eyebrow to ear‑to‑ear smile. FaceTime detects when you are using sign language in Group FaceTime calls and will automatically make you prominent. And with Picture in Picture for FaceTime, you can continue viewing your call while multitasking.2

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch

FaceTime is a great way to communicate using sign language. With high‑quality video and a fast frame rate, FaceTime helps you catch every gesture and facial expression — from raised eyebrow to ear‑to‑ear smile. FaceTime detects when you are using sign language in Group FaceTime calls and will automatically make you prominent. And with Picture in Picture for FaceTime, you can continue viewing your call while multitasking.2

Set up FaceTime on:

Made for iPhone hearing devices

Designed to just work. Wherever your day takes you.

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed specifically for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, offer many helpful features, and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. Instantly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed specifically for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, offer many helpful features, and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. Instantly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes.

Set up Made for iPhone hearing devices on:

Go deeper:

Update:

Bidirectional hearing aid support. Apple is adding support for new bidirectional hearing aids. The microphones in these hearing aids allow those who are deaf or hard of hearing to have hands-free phone and FaceTime conversations. The next‑generation models from Made for iPhone partners will be available at a later date.

Live Listen

Tune out the noise
and hear more of what matters.

Live Listen is an assistive listening feature that helps you have better conversations in loud places. Just turn on the feature and move your device toward the people you’re talking with. Audio is picked up by the device microphone and sent to your wireless headphones or Made for iPhone hearing aids, so you can hear what they’re saying more clearly.3

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, Made for iPhone hearing aids

Live Listen is an assistive listening feature that helps you have better conversations in loud places. Just turn on the feature and move your device toward the people you’re talking with. Audio is picked up by the device microphone and sent to your wireless headphones or Made for iPhone hearing aids, so you can hear what they’re saying more clearly.3

Set up Live Listen on:

Update:

Noise cancellation. Live Listen now supports noise cancellation, which helps distinguish speakers’ voices from environmental noise during Live Listen sessions.

Mono Audio

Find the right balance for you.

Stereo recordings usually have distinct left- and right-channel audio tracks. Mono Audio can help streamline the differences by playing both audio channels in both ears. You can adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear, so you won’t miss a single note of a concerto or word of an audiobook.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, iPod touch

Stereo recordings usually have distinct left- and right-channel audio tracks. Mono Audio can help streamline the differences by playing both audio channels in both ears. You can adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear, so you won’t miss a single note of a concerto or word of an audiobook.

Set up Mono Audio on:

Sensory Alerts

See your alerts.
Or feel them.

Your device lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. Choose visual or vibrating alerts for incoming phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail, and calendar events. You can set an LED light flash for incoming calls or have your iPhone display a photo of the caller. If you’re on your Mac, have it flash its screen when an app needs your attention. Or if you’re on the go, turn on the Taptic Engine on your Apple Watch to give you a gentle tap every time a notification comes in.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, iPod touch

Your device lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. Choose visual or vibrating alerts for incoming phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail, and calendar events. You can set an LED light flash for incoming calls or have your iPhone display a photo of the caller. If you’re on your Mac, have it flash its screen when an app needs your attention. Or if you’re on the go, turn on the Taptic Engine on your Apple Watch to give you a gentle tap every time a notification comes in.

Set up Sensory Alerts on:

Go deeper:

Tell time with haptic feedback on Apple Watch

iMessage

Chat through type, photos, smileys, and more.

Start a conversation without needing to say or hear a word. Send unlimited messages to anyone using the Messages app. Or send a group message to keep everyone in the loop. You can share photos, videos, locations, links, or the occasional smiley.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, iPod touch

Start a conversation without needing to say or hear a word. Send unlimited messages to anyone using the Messages app. Or send a group message to keep everyone in the loop. You can share photos, videos, locations, links, or the occasional smiley.

Set up iMessage on:

Real‑Time Text (RTT)

Make and receive RTT calls right on your device.

Use your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch to make and receive RTT calls. Standard texting involves composing an entire message and tapping Send, but RTT provides instant transmission of a message as it is being composed (as well as support for braille displays). Transcripts for RTT calls are saved in your call history.4

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch

Real‑Time Text (RTT)

Use your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch to make and receive RTT calls. Standard texting involves composing an entire message and tapping Send, but RTT provides instant transmission of a message as it is being composed (as well as support for braille displays). Transcripts for RTT calls are saved in your call history.4

Set up RTT on:

Go deeper:

Update:

RTT Call Holding. RTT calls now support call holding and notify callers when they are put on hold.

Type to Siri

Your digital assistant is ready. Just type the word.

Your digital assistant will help you with the things you do every day — all through your keyboard. Type to Siri mode makes it easy to get the help you need right away. Use your onscreen keyboard to ask questions, set up reminders, issue commands, and more.5

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, iPod touch

Your digital assistant will help you with the things you do every day — all through your keyboard. Type to Siri mode makes it easy to get the help you need right away. Use your onscreen keyboard to ask questions, set up reminders, issue commands, and more.5

Set up Type to Siri on:

Update:

Type to Siri for Apple TV. Now you can type instead of speaking to Siri on Apple TV. To make a request, call for Siri, then interact using the keyboard and text field.

Scribble

Quickly jot letters that turn into text.

Reply to a message by scribbling letters on your display, and your words automatically convert to typed text. Use your finger to quickly jot responses on your Apple Watch display, or write a message with Apple Pencil on iPad. Scribble makes it easy to say what you want.

Available on:

iPad, Apple Watch

Reply to a message by scribbling letters on your display, and your words automatically convert to typed text. Use your finger to quickly jot responses on your Apple Watch display, or write a message with Apple Pencil on iPad. Scribble makes it easy to say what you want.

Set up Scribble on:

Closed Captions

Customizable captions for movies, TV shows, and podcasts.

Closed captions are a text transcription of a video’s dialogue, as well as nonverbal communication. Supported in apps like the Apple TV app, closed captions are available in over 40 languages for movies, TV shows, videos, and podcasts — just look for the CC icon. You can also caption HomePod announcements on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Customize captions with different styles and fonts, including styles that are larger and outlined for better legibility.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, iPod touch

Closed captions are a text transcription of a video’s dialogue, as well as nonverbal communication. Supported in apps like the Apple TV app, closed captions are available in over 40 languages for movies, TV shows, videos, and podcasts — just look for the CC icon. You can also caption HomePod announcements on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Customize captions with different styles and fonts, including styles that are larger and outlined for better legibility.

Set up Closed Captions on:

Go deeper:

Noise app

Track your hearing health.

The Noise app tracks decibel levels of the ambient sounds around you, helping you identify when sound levels in your environment, or from your headphones, could negatively affect your hearing. When you configure the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect compatible headphones, Control Center shows you if the sounds playing through the headphones reach unsafe levels.6 And all your information is stored in the Health app on iPhone for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Available on:

Apple Watch

The Noise app tracks decibel levels of the ambient sounds around you, helping you identify when sound levels in your environment, or from your headphones, could negatively affect your hearing. When you configure the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect compatible headphones, Control Center shows you if the sounds playing through the headphones reach unsafe levels.6 And all your information is stored in the Health app on iPhone for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Set up the Noise app on:

Apple Watch

Update:

Live Headphone Audio for Apple Watch. When you set up the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect AirPods or other compatible headphones, Control Center lets you check whether a noise has reached a level that might affect your hearing.

Get more out of your features.

Learn tips, tricks, and how-tos for hearing features straight from Apple Support on YouTube.

Watch now

Make yours. showing Speak Selection feature.

Discover more about Apple accessibility features.

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